If you look at any ship in the Royal Canadian Navy today, you will see a bright red Maple Leaf proudly displayed on the funnel or helicopter hangar. This has become a unique tradition in the RCN and can be traced back to 1918 when several RCN Drifters (CD Class) used for minesweeping had placed […]
The Sacrifice of SS Beaverford “The Heroic Saga of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Ship with Teeth.”
Many will know the celebrated legacy of the Royal Navy’s armed merchant cruiser HMS JERVIS BAY and her final moments as she battled the German pocket battleship ADMIRAL SCHEER protecting her North Atlantic convoy, HX-84 on 5 November 1940. The battle for the convoy did not end with the loss of JERVIS BAY. The Canadian […]
HMCS SACKVILLE -Modernizing a WWII Corvette
In 2018, HMCS SACKVILLE entered the submarine maintenance shed at Fleet Maintenance Facility, CAPE SCOTT at HMC Dockyard in Halifax for badly needed repairs to her hull. This might not seem to be exciting on the surface, but when you realize SACKVILLE is a Second World War veteran of the Battle of the Atlantic and […]
HMCS HAIDA -Honourary Flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS HAIDA, the last Tribal class destroyer has been dedicated “Flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy,” in a ceremony at her permanent berth in Hamilton, Ontario on 26 May 2018. This historic ship has often been described as “Canada’s Fightingest Ship,” having seen active service in the Second World War, Korea and the early days […]
Canada and the Battle Of Atlantic
During the Second World War a fierce and decisive battle was fought on the world’s oceans and seas. Collectively it has become known as the Battle Of Atlantic. Winning this battle would determine the outcome of the war. The momentous responsibility of winning or losing WWII fell on Canada. The Second World War would have […]
HMCS IROQUOIS Exploits After VE Day
Great detail has been recorded of the Royal Canadian Navy’s ships during the Second World War, including the Battle of the Atlantic, Operations in the Arctic, Mediterranean and many other ocean battlefronts. Sadly very little has been written about what happened to our ships after VE Day? Recently I have received a large collection of […]
Best of 2017 -An RCN Photo Collection
This past year has been very interesting. I have had several opportunities to visit and record our Canadian Sailors at work, on current taskings, preparing for deployment and building our future Navy. Below are some of my favourite photos from 2017, Canada’s 150th Anniversary! All the photos are available to view in my Flickr Album, 2017 […]
2017 The Year in Review
2017 has been a very busy year on my social media. In January I started a campaign of posting “On This Day in RCNHistory,” in addition to my “RCN Photo of the Day”. This has lead to a very active year on my Twitter and Facebook feeds with over 2 million hits on Twitter alone. […]
MV ASTERIX -Exterior Tour of RCN’s Interim AOR
MV ASTERIX is nearing completion and is now happily back in the water, undergoing trials by her builder, Davie Shipyards in Quebec, shortly this magnificent ship will began Royal Canadian Navy trials in preparations to turn her over to the Navy. Built as an Interim AOR by Davie and Federal Fleet Services as Project Resolve. […]
Throwing Away Canadian History, ex-HMCS ATHABASKAN to go to Breakers!
With a simple internet post, another piece of Canadian history is about to be thrown away and the legacy of an entire era will be relegated into oblivion. This week on 2 November 2017, the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada posted for tender, “Disposal of former ATHABASKAN (W8482-182411/A).” On the surface it […]